Monarch Butterflies in Honolulu

While I was in Honolulu I observed many monarch butterflies fluttering in the breeze.

I saw more than I have ever seen here in the Bay Area.

Since the climate is usually warm in Hawaii, even during the winter months, monarch butterflies there lay their eggs throughout the year. Here are two images of a female monarch that just emerged from her chrysalis.

Note the dark chrysalis next to her, from which another monarch would emerge very soon.

The monarch caterpillar eggs were laid on leaves of a giant crown flower milkweed Calotropis Gigantea. The caterpillars then crawled from the milkweed tree to the leaves of a plant next to it to form their chrysalides.

In Hawaii, the lovely blossoms of the crown flower, Pua kalaunu in Hawaiian, are used to make beautiful leis. You can read more about the Pua kalaunu in "My Hawaii Nature Journal" http://hawaiinaturejournal.weebly.com/hawaii-plants-and-animals-in-the-backyard-and-beyond/send-in-the-crowns-crown-flower-pua-kalaunu